The Ultimate Sacrifice
by Cybra
Summary: Taishiro (aka Yaoi content) and character death content ahead!!! Steer clear if you dislike this!


The Ultimate Sacrifice

by Cybra

WARNING: You are entering a Taishiro fic!!! That is a Tai/Izzy pairing for those of you who do not know!!! If you are a person who hates Yaoi, stay far far away!!! Not only that but this story contains character death!!! Ye hath been warned!

A/N: Well, here I go. My first ever Yaoi fic. Kind of a challenge from Her Royal Weirdness…and I haven't backed down from one yet. Does this make me a risk-taker or what? I mean, all my fans of my non-Yaoi series are going to kill me…Here goes…

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon. I never have.

Blackgriffmon swooped low over our little group, separating Kari and I from the rest of them. Kari screamed as we were barely missed by the huge Digimon.

"Terra Force!"

"Ice Wolf Claw!"

Even with our top two Digimon fighting this guy, we still couldn't beat him. We were being pounded.

"Tai, I'm scared!" Kari told me.

"Don't be. We'll make it."

"Dark Flame!"

The dark purple flames flew towards us. Both of us froze in fear, unable to do anything but scream. This was it. This…

…_wasn't_ it!

Someone leaped up into the path of the flames, blocking the attack. But this someone _wasn't_ a Digimon. It was a human…

Kari's eyes were wide open. I thought I knew what she was thinking of…

__

I was at the TV station with the others as Gatomon stood in front of Kari. I'd tried to toss her Digivice to her, but Demidevimon had stolen it! However, Kari did_ have the Crest…_

"Grizzly Wing!" Myotismon shouted, attacking my little sister with his bats.

I watched in horror as the attack flew towards Kari and Gatomon. Both of their eyes were wide open in terror. I was about to lose my little sister Kari. That's when I saw Wizardmon leap in front of the attack.

He ended up dying just to save Kari and Gatomon…

"Terra Force!"

"Ice Wolf Claw!"

Metal Garurumon and Wargreymon took the opportunity to blast Blackgriffmon right out of the sky. Kari's and my savior fell to the ground, unmoving. I was the first to reach him.

"Oh my God…" I whispered. "Izzy…"

Izzy laid there on the ground, his clothes and body burnt on mostly one side. I kneeled down and gently held him in my arms. He winced in pain and opened those dark eyes of his.

Only this time, they held no curiosity, no knowledge.

Only fear.

Fear of what he knew was going to happen.

Motimon was coming our way. He'd de-digivolved since Izzy's life force was running out. He wasn't dying because the side Blackgriffmon had roasted had destroyed Izzy's Digivice.

Izzy looked at me in the eye.

"I'm sorry, Tai…"

"Sorry for what?" I asked, trying to hold by my tears.

"Sorry…that I won't be here…when you need me…"

"What're you talking about?" I asked, acting like I didn't understand. "Joe'll fix you right up and you'll be just fine…"

"You don't believe that…do you, Tai?"

I sniffed and shook my head. Izzy didn't squirm as I hugged him tightly.

"Not now…not now…" I begged in a whisper.

"We all have…our time…I guess…now is mine… Tai, can you…do me…three favors?"

"Sure. What are they?"

"First, I want you to keep…gaining knowledge…about this world. I don't want to know that the search…for knowledge…died…with me…" His eyes suddenly looked sad after I nodded. "I'm just sorry…that I can't keep…going with the…rest of you…"

"It's not your fault, Izzy. It's my fault. I should've gotten Kari and I out of there…"

Izzy brought up a shaking hand to cover my mouth with two fingers. "My second request is that you don't…blame yourself for this. I chose…this fate." I silently nodded before he continued. "My last request is that you and the others open…the file 'final messages' on…my laptop…the password is…" He paused, blushing. "'Taishiro.'"

I'd never heard that word before. It sounded like a mix of my name and his own. Did that mean…? Before I could even ask, he took a deep breath and whispered three words. Just three. I could barely hear them myself.

Kari and the others ran up to us just after he said those three words.

Izzy gave us a brave smile. Then, his eyes closed.

Never to be opened again.

I let go of him, lying him on the ground. He looked so innocent that way…like he was sleeping or something, but I knew better.

Death had come, and he had claimed another victim.

This time, Death's victim was someone that we'd relied on for so long.

Someone that we'd never forget.

Mimi buried her face into Joe's sweater. Kari hugged me fiercely, Sora doing the same with Biyomon. Motimon was allowing Agumon and Palmon to hold him as he cried. Matt hugged TK tightly. Joe put his arm around Mimi. Gomamon put a flipper on top of Joe's shoe. Gatomon rubbed Kari's back while Patamon cried into Gabumon's fur, Gabumon holding the little guy protectively.

I held Kari protectively as well. This was one of the only times in my life I could remember crying in front of everyone.

We buried Izzy under a modest pile of rocks, placing the Crest of Knowledge and his Pineapple laptop computer on top to mark the grave. The girls had put flowers on there as well. I was going to speak some sort of eulogy about Izzy to make it an official funeral.

Before I even got in front of anyone, my thoughts were spinning around and around in my head.

I thought about what Izzy had been like. He'd been an enigma, a mystery himself. When I thought I had him figured out, he'd do something that would confuse the heck out of me. Matt would've told me that _anybody_ could've done that…but I won't get into that. When he was dying, it finally hit me that there were two faces to Koushiro Izumi.

The first face was the one he put on for us: the computer geek who figured out everything about this world and gave us the answers when we needed them. That Izzy was the guy I was used to seeing. The kid with the enormous vocabulary that I could barely understand and the intelligence of someone far older than he was.

The other face was completely different. I'd seen the caring and self-sacrificing side of Izzy in that one single moment when he'd thrown himself in front of Blackgriffmon's attack. I also saw the hurt of leaving his friends.

And I was proud to be considered one of his friends.

"Guys, Izzy was a really quiet guy. We all didn't really know him well, and it's a shame we didn't. He always kept to himself, keeping his own problems inside and trying to solve ours. It's kinda like he didn't _want_ us to get too close to him…But Izzy sacrificed himself to allow Kari and I to live, and that sacrifice shall never be forgotten." I paused, wiping a tear from my eye. "I guess we all kinda took Izzy for granted. We all kinda expected him to be there with us, but now I wish I'd taken the time to just talk with him for a while." I paused again, trying to keep my voice from cracking. "He always said that life was full of meetings and partings. We'll never forget meeting him, being with him…and parting from him. If you're listening, Izzy, wherever you are, I want you to know that I'll hold your memory close to me, and I'll keep learning about this strange place. Just like I promised. You taught me so much…and it took me so long to see."

"Amen," Kari whispered with a hoarse voice.

"Amen," we all echoed.

We were all quite surprised when Motimon asked to stay with us. I said he could. It wouldn't be fair just to leave him. As we began to walk away from the modest pile or rocks that covered the grave, I turned back to see the laptop with Izzy's tag and Crest lying on top of it.

I walked back towards Izzy's grave and picked up the Crest of Knowledge and the laptop. Matt came back and waited as the others stopped and waited ahead of us. I put the Crest of Knowledge around my neck with the Crest of Courage and put the laptop under my arm. I wasn't sure how to use the computer, but I was sure I'd figure it out.

Besides, I had that third request of Izzy's to fulfill. I'd honor it.

Still…had he been planning something like this at one point? Why'd he go and create a file like "final messages"?

Matt didn't ask me why I took those things from the grave. He just…understood. We both turned and rejoined the group. Then we all walked silently away.

I remembered those three little words Izzy had whispered to me just before he'd died.

__

'Izzy…I feel the same way.'

A/N: And the author writes not only a Yaoi, but a depressing Yaoi…and CHEEZY Yaoi!!!

Izzy: I predict that the sequel will be even cheezier.

You live to taunt me don't you?!

Izzy: Uh huh. However, YOU'RE the one who wanted me to help you with this one.

Right…right…Well, all you people who actually read through the whole thing, please review!


End file.
